1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a binding to be fixed to a snowboard, and more particularly to a binding (fitting equipment) which can be applied to boots other than dedicated boots and allows to clamp or release a boot with ease.
2. Description of the Related Art
Snowboard boots are roughly classified into two types; one is a hard boot which is similar to ski boots and formed of a reinforced resin or the like, and the other is a soft boot which is made of leather and textile material. The hard boots are mainly used for Alpine skiing at a high speed and provide stable skiing. And, the soft boots are mainly used for free-style skiing to freely ski to jump, spin and the like, allowing skiers to ski quite freely.
Among snowboarders today, most of them enjoys free-style snowboarding, and their equipment often include a free-style board and soft boots.
To clamp a soft boot, a binding designed for the soft boot is generally used. The binding for the soft boot is generally formed of a base plate 1 directly fixed to a snowboard (not shown), a back plate 2 for supporting the rear of the boot, a connector 31 for supporting the back plate 2, an ankle strap 32 for fixing the heel of the boot, and a toe strap 33 for fixing the toe of the boot as shown in FIG. 3. The back plate 2 includes two types, one is high (so-called high back) and the other is low (so-called low back), and the one shown in FIG. 3 is a high back plate. The low back plate is designed mainly for half-pipe to provide freer movement of the ankle at a price for sliding performance. The ankle strap 32 and the toe strap 33 are generally provided with a buckle (a combination of a turn buckle and a ratchet buckle). FIG. 3 shows the binding with two straps fitted, but there is a three-strap type which additionally has a strap for fixing the ankle.
Differing from skiing, you cannot walk flat ground with both feet fixed to the snowboard, and it is necessary to release one or both feet from the board after every sliding. And, since the snowboard can be carried easier than skis, both feet are often released from the board to carry it. Thus, as compared with skis, boots are frequently clamped to and released from the snowboard, so that such operation is desired to be made with ease.
But, the conventional binding for snowboards shown in FIG. 3 requires tightening or releasing of the buckle type straps 32, 33 every time the boot is clamped or released. And, snowboarders have demanded for a binding that the boot can be clamped and released with ease.